A substrate processing system including at least two vertically stacked transport chambers, each of the vertically stacked transport chambers including a plurality of openings arranged to form vertical stacks of openings configured for coupling to vertically stacked process modules, at least one of the vertically stacked transport chambers includes at least one transport chamber module arranged for coupling to another transport chamber module to form a linear transport chamber and another of the at least two stacked transport chambers including at least one transport chamber module arranged for coupling to another transport chamber module to form another linear transport chamber, and a transport robot disposed in each of the transport chamber modules, where a joint of the transport robot is locationally fixed along a linear path formed by the respective linear transport chamber.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A substrate processing system comprising: at least two vertically stacked transport tunnels, each of the vertically stacked transport tunnels having a first end and a second end and being separate and distinct from another of the at least two vertically stacked transport tunnels and the at least two vertically stacked transport tunnels including a plurality of openings arranged to form vertical stacks of openings configured for coupling to vertically stacked process modules, at least one of the vertically stacked transport tunnels includes at least one transport chamber module arranged for coupling to at least one transport tunnel module to form a linear transport tunnel and another of the at least two stacked transport tunnels including at least one transport chamber module arranged for coupling to another at least one transport tunnel module to form another linear transport tunnel separate and distinct from the linear transport tunnel; the at least two vertically stacked transport tunnels including a return system separate and distinct from another of the at least two vertically stacked transport tunnels; at least one load lock communicably coupling at least the first end and the second end of each of the at least two vertically stacked transport tunnels, and including an elevator configured to transfer workpieces between each of the at least two vertically stacked transport tunnels and the return system; and an articulated transport robot arm disposed in each of the linear transport tunnel and the other linear transport tunnel, where a joint of the articulated transport robot arm is locationally fixed along a linear path formed by the respective linear transport tunnel and the other linear transport tunnel.
2. The substrate processing system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one load lock is disposed between adjacent transport chamber modules of the at least one of the vertically stacked transport tunnels.
3. The substrate processing system of claim 1 , wherein the transport robot includes a two degree of freedom drive with Z axis movement.
4. The substrate processing system of claim 1 , wherein each of the transport chamber modules are sealable chambers.
5. The substrate processing system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one load lock is coupled to each of the linear transport chambers so as to form a buffer station disposed between at least two of the transport chamber modules.
6. The substrate processing system of claim 1 , wherein transport robots of each of the at least two vertically stacked transport chambers include dual level transport robots that form vertically stacked substrate transfer planes within a respective one of the at least two vertically stacked transport chambers.
7. The substrate processing system of claim 6 , wherein the vertically stacked substrate transfer planes allow for bidirectional substrate travel in each of the at least two vertically stacked transport chambers.
8. The substrate processing system of claim 6 , wherein one of the vertically stacked substrate transfer planes is a return lane configured for substantially unobstructed transport of substrates.
9. The substrate processing system of claim 1 , wherein each of the at least two vertically stacked transport chambers includes lateral sides, wherein the plurality of openings are disposed on but a single lateral side of a respective one of the at least two vertically stacked transport chambers.
10. The substrate processing system of claim 1 , wherein each of the at least two vertically stacked transport chambers includes lateral sides, wherein the plurality of openings are disposed on opposite lateral sides of a respective one of the at least two vertically stacked transport chambers.
11. The substrate processing system of claim 1 , wherein one of the at least two vertically stacked transport chambers provides substrate transport in a first direction and the other of the at least two vertically stacked transport chambers provides substrate transport in a substantially opposite direction.
12. The substrate processing system of claim 1 , wherein the transport robots of a respective linear transport chamber are arranged for robot to robot substrate handoff.
13. A substrate processing system comprising: at least two vertically stacked transport chambers, each of the vertically stacked transport chambers being separate and distinct from another of the at least two vertically stacked transport chambers and including a plurality of openings arranged to form vertical stacks of side wall openings configured for coupling to vertically stacked process modules, at least one of the vertically stacked transport chambers includes at least one transport chamber module arranged for coupling to another transport chamber module to form a linear transport chamber and another of the at least two stacked transport chambers including at least one transport chamber module arranged for coupling to another transport chamber module to form another linear transport chamber separate and distinct from the linear transport chamber; a transport robot disposed in each of the transport chamber modules, where a joint of the transport robot is locationally fixed along a linear path formed by the respective linear transport chamber; and wherein the at least two vertically stacked transport chambers include at least one load lock communicably coupled to a common loading station, where the common loading station includes a substrate elevator for transferring substrates between each of the at least two vertically stacked transport chambers.
14. The substrate processing system of claim 13 , wherein each of the linear transport chambers includes a buffer station disposed between at least two of the transport chamber modules.
15. The substrate processing system of claim 14 , wherein the buffer station includes a substrate elevator configured to transfer substrates between each of the linear transport chambers.
16. The substrate processing system of claim 13 , wherein transport robots of each of the at least two vertically stacked transport chambers include dual level transport robots that form vertically stacked substrate transfer planes within a respective one of the at least two vertically stacked transport chambers.
17. The substrate processing system of claim 16 , wherein the vertically stacked substrate transfer planes allow for bidirectional substrate travel in each of the at least two vertically stacked transport chambers.
18. The substrate processing system of claim 16 , wherein one of the vertically stacked substrate transfer planes is a return lane configured for substantially unobstructed transport of substrates.
19. The substrate processing system of claim 13 , wherein each of the at least two vertically stacked transport chambers includes lateral sides, wherein the plurality of openings are disposed on but a single lateral side of a respective one of the at least two vertically stacked transport chambers.
20. The substrate processing system of claim 13 , wherein each of the at least two vertically stacked transport chambers includes lateral sides, wherein the plurality of openings are disposed on opposite lateral sides of a respective one of the at least two vertically stacked transport chambers.
21. The substrate processing system of claim 13 , wherein one of the at least two vertically stacked transport chambers provides substrate transport in a first direction and the other of the at least two vertically stacked transport chambers provides substrate transport in a substantially opposite direction.
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January 9, 2018
March 26, 2019
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